One and Only
by JustASmallTownGirl123
Summary: I dare you to let me be your, your one and only, promise I'm worthy to hold in your arms. So come on and give me the chance, to prove that I'm the one who can walk that mile until the end starts.


One and Only

Adele

_You've been on my mind__  
__I grow fonder everyday__  
__Lose myself in time__  
__Just thinking of your face_

Her first week in the Manhattan Special Victims Unit had been rough, but she felt accomplished and satisfied as she entered her apartment Friday night, one reason being was that she'd made it a whole week with the infamous Elliot Stabler as her partner. She'd heard his track record when it came to partners and knew that she would most likely be serving the customary two years on the squad and then move onto a different precinct and a new partner. She didn't mind much, she could already tell that this partnership was going to take some compromising on both their parts because as they had found out this week, they were almost complete opposites.

Although, maybe that was the point, they were meant to complement each other, not agree on everything. They were already beginning to anticipate each other's moves and thoughts...

Olivia shook her head as she shucked off her work clothes and changed into something more comfortable, reminding herself that picking up on what your partner was thinking was something they had both learned in the academy. If you didn't know how your partner operated, how were you supposed to have their back?

But then she remembered how he'd told Munch to shut up when he'd commented on the fact that the father's side of her forms had been empty. It was obvious that their Captain had told him something of her family history and every though he didn't know the whole story he was already willing to tell someone he'd known for a few years to shut up for the sake of someone he'd known a few days.

She didn't know exactly where this partnership was headed, but for some reason she had the suspicion that even though it might be tough going at first, maybe even the whole time, that it would be worth it.

_God only knows__  
__Why it's taken me so long__  
__To let my doubts go__  
__Cause you're the only one that I want__  
_  
Today marked five years as partners for them and she'd brought him coffee and a muffin, he'd laughingly accepted her small gesture, not understanding why five years was such a big deal. She told him that it was a big deal because she'd managed to outlast the time he'd spent with all of his previous partners.

"Hmm, I guess you're right..." He set the muffin and coffee down on his desk and bent down to open his bottom drawer. "Good thing I got you this then."

He handed her a small bag and she took it, curious and touched that he'd actually gotten her something. She reached into the bag and pulled out a leather bracelet that read: Partners in Crime, then she looked on the inside of the bracelet and saw both of their badge numbers. Her muffin and coffee now seemed very insignificant.

"Aw, El you didn't have to-"

He placed his hand on her arm, giving it a gentle squeeze, "I know, but I wanted to. You've stuck with me for this long; I should at least thank you for not being just another person in a long list of failed partnerships."

Elliot took the bracelet from her and clasped it around her wrist, "I got you a fricken muffin." She muttered.

He laughed, "Don't worry about it Liv, in five years you can get me something nice and I'll get you food."

"You really think I'll stick around that long?" She teased as they sat down at their desks.

"A man can dream." He replied with a playful grin.

She shook her head and turned to the stack of paperwork on her desk, settling into a steady rhythm for the rest of the day. She caught her mind wandering a few times as she remembered thinking for the longest time that she would barely make it two years with this man as her partner. Their partnership had turned out to be the complete opposite of what everyone had expected, herself included.

After that first year they were already attached at the hip; he had made her feel like she was part of his family, even if she was merely his partner, and he had even had her over for dinner with his family a few times. Over the past five years she had slowly opened up to him about her mother and her childhood and in doing so it had made them that much closer. In fact their closeness had become an ever present topic on her mind lately.

For about the past year or so she'd been experiencing this odd feeling in the pit of her stomach whenever he smiled a certain way at her and his occasional comforting touch was something she now relished. She did her best to ignore whatever it was she was feeling while at work, but at home he was always on her mind and she couldn't deny that she'd had a few dreams about him that had involved more than a friendly hug.

She glanced at the bracelet that adorned her wrist then back up at her partner; things were changing between them. She didn't know what that meant for their partnership and it scared her.

_I don't know why I'm scared__  
__I've been here before__  
__Every feeling, every word,__  
__I've imagined it all__  
__You never know if you never try__  
__To forgive your past and simply be mine_

They had been in some sticky and equally scary situations in their seven years on the squad together. They'd both been hurt, but had come out of whatever it was alright. But this, standing in front of a man who was holding a gun to her partner's head, this was the most terrifying moment Olivia had ever experienced in her time as a cop.

She kept her gun aimed at Gitano as he continued to yell at her that if she shot him Elliot was as good as dead.

"Don't listen to him Liv." Elliot said, earning a jerk from Gitano and the gun being pressed harder into his head. "Take the shot."

"I can't." She whispered.

"Shut up! Both of you just shut up!" Gitano yelled, jerking Elliot around some more.

"Olivia, pull it! Shoot him!" He yelled, causing her to flinch, and then he continued more gently. "Olivia, it's alright...just take the shot."

She nodded, gripping her gun more firmly, though she had no intention to shoot, she could hear the sniper stealthy making his way up onto one of the crates. "I'm sorry."

Olivia watched, her heart breaking, as he closed his eyes as if he was really ready to just lay down his life. Even after the sniper took his shot and Elliot's life was no longer hanging in the balance, she was still terrified of the fact that she could have lost him. He was her everything, even if he didn't know it, and if he had died she might as well have gone with him because she couldn't picture functioning on a day to day basis without him.

When they sat together and he told her that he had believed she would actually have caused his death and taken that shot, she was appalled and she told him as much. She didn't mean to ask 'What about me?', but she couldn't help it, it was all she had been thinking about in the few hours since the incident; how she could've possibly gone on without him. He told her that she and this job were the only things he had left, that he didn't want to screw that up and if it meant that they couldn't be partners anymore, then so be it.

That last part hurt, because just like he didn't know that he was also one of the only things she had left, he also didn't know that she had fallen in love with him. She hadn't meant to and upon realizing her feelings for him she had done her best to suppress them and move on, but that proved to be easier said than done.

But he was right, if they couldn't do their job because their relationship was going to keep getting in the way, it was best if they quit working together. So she locked her hurt, broken-hearted feelings in a box deep inside herself, and walked into Cragen's office with her head held high and asked him for a new partner. He was obviously taken by surprise, but told her he would see what he could do.

And the following week, when her transfer to Computer Crimes was officially complete, she drank her way through half a bottle of wine and cried herself to sleep.

_I dare you to let me be your, your one and only__  
__Promise I'm worthy to hold in your arms__  
__So come on and give me the chance__  
__To prove that I'm the one who can__  
__Walk that mile until the end starts__  
__If I've been on your mind__  
__You hang on every word I say__  
__Lose yourself in time at the mention of my name__  
__Will I ever know how it feels to hold you close?__  
__And have you tell me whichever road I choose you'll go_

Olivia swore that for the rest of her time as a cop she would never go undercover for the FBI again. She hated being so far away from Elliot, especially since she had only been back a few months before being roped into the gig. They hadn't had much time to rebuild from the state of disrepair the Gitano case had left their relationship in and she hated to picture him with another partner. She was the only one that should have his back and as she rode the elevator car up to the squad room she prayed she wouldn't have to see this new partner of his.

It turned it didn't really matter what she wanted, because when she walked into the squad room, Elliot was nowhere in sight and a blonde, female detective sat at her old desk. She kept her emotions in check as she asked about Elliot and told Beck not to let him know she had come, before walking into Cragen's office to let him know she was back, but that she wasn't ready to come back to the job just yet.

It hurt when she saw how well Elliot and Beck seemed to be getting along, and part of her entertained the thought of just never coming back. But she was only home for a week before she received a call from Cragen asking if she could come back; Beck hadn't worked out after all and he couldn't think if anyone better to replace her. She agreed and without calling beforehand showed up to help Elliot interrogate a witness for a current case who was unable to speak.

The look he gave her when she showed up was one of shock, but she could sense an underlying hint of something else in the look and his body language though she couldn't quite place it. After the case finally came to a very screwed up ending, with their perp giving his cheating wife a kidney, she didn't know what compelled her to do it, but she asked Elliot what his blood type was.

"A positive." He answered.

"Well how about that, me too." She replied with a smirk as the elevator doors opened.

They stepped in and she hit the button for the lobby, "I'd give you a kidney."

She smiled to herself, "Not if I gave you mine first."

They both turned to look at each other at the same time, and the look he gave her was filled with so much intensity that she almost couldn't handle it. He seemed to be telling her without saying anything that this normalcy between them was something he had missed and that he was glad it was back. But as she looked into the blue depths of his eyes she saw the same mysterious look he had given her when she had come back and it bothered her to not know what he was thinking. She brushed off these feelings and gave him a small smile, but before she could turn her head back to look ahead, his hand was on her face and he was backing her up against the wall.

Her pulse quickened and she wondered if he could hear her heart beating, because it sounded entirely too loud in her ears. He studied her face with his beautiful blue eyes as he brushed a piece a hair behind her ear.

"I think..." He paused leaning down closer to her face. "I might kiss you."

She laid her palm on his cheek, studying his face with a smile, "I think I might like it."

He grinned widely at her before crashing his lips against hers and though the sensation was new to both of them; it felt completely normal to her. She felt that empty spot in her heart finally click into place and it was like she was finally coming home, and he was her big, strong, beautiful house.

They broke apart just as the elevator doors opened and without a word she entwined her fingers with his and led him out to the parking lot. They were both silent on the way back to the precinct, absorbing this new shift in the dynamics of both their partnership and relationship. She knew that this change was going to be difficult for both of them, but as she glanced at their clasped hands and the smile he just couldn't wipe off his face she knew this was where she was meant to be and nothing could make her believe otherwise.

_I don't know why I'm scared__  
__Cause I've been here before__  
__Every feeling, every word__  
__I've imagined it all__  
__You'll never know if you never try__  
__To forgive your past and simply be mine_

"You told me that you would be off." Olivia said, already gearing up for a fight.

It was two days before Christmas and he had just got home from work to inform her that his new Captain had asked him to work on the holiday.

"I'm sorry Liv, he asked, I couldn't just say no." He said, resting his hand on her shoulder.

She shrugged him off as she continued to wash off the dishes she'd used to make the Christmas cookies, "Couldn't or wouldn't?"

"Oh come on, don't do that Liv." He sighed and she brushed past him, grabbing a Tupperware container from the counter and beginning to place the cooling gingerbread cookies inside it.

"Do what?" She snarled, doing her best not to break the cookies as she slammed them into the container. "I'm not allowed to get frustrated because you promised you were going to be off for Christmas, our first Christmas together I might add, but now you have to work because he _asked_ you to. You could've said no."

"I've barely been there a year, I'm the rookie, and saying no wouldn't have gone over well." He replied, once again placing his hand on her shoulder.

She whirled around absolutely seething with anger, "Then you shouldn't have promised me! You shouldn't have said that you would be here if you knew it probably wasn't going to happen!"

"Well I thought you would understand." He snapped. "You're supposed to understand, you're not supposed to be..." He trailed off, looking away from her.

"What? What am I not supposed to be, Elliot?" She asked, still fuming.

"Fine, you really wanna hear it? I didn't think I'd have to deal with you being angry like this because you're a cop too and you know how it goes. I didn't think I'd have to deal with another Kathy." He answered, looking away from her.

Olivia felt like she had been slapped, "Oh, I see."

He looked back at her and the anger was gone from his eyes, "No, Liv, I'm sorry I didn't mean it."

She just shook her head and headed for the door, grabbing her coat on the way out, "No, I know exactly what you meant and you're right I shouldn't be another Kathy, I'll try harder."

With that she left, taking the steps down from their three bedroom townhouse quickly and not looking back. She started on a familiar path to a spot in Central Park that she went to when she needed some time to think; she'd found it just after they had found the house and moved in. They lived right across from the park and she was sitting down on the bench within a few minutes, thankful that she had a place like this to escape to whenever she needed. Her space was tucked into a corner of the park that was not frequented by many, making it the perfect place for her to think.

She'd come here a few times since they had moved in together, but none of their fights had been as big as this one. They'd argued over trivial things before that had only become escalated because one or both of them had just come home from an all-nighter. Working around both of their schedules had become tough since Elliot had transferred to Homicide but they made it work because having to split up because of their relationship had been hard enough. Olivia pulled her coat tighter around her as a gust of cold wind swept through the park and she looked up at the storm clouds forming in the night sky, wondering if it would snow for Christmas this year.  
_  
__I dare you to let me be your, your one and only__  
__I promise I'm worthy to hold in your arms__  
__So come on and give me the chance__  
__To prove that I'm the one who can__  
__Walk that mile until the end starts_

I didn't think I'd have to deal with another Kathy.

The words replayed through her head over and over again, until suddenly there was wetness on her cheeks and she realized she was crying. She covered her face with her hands; this was the one thing she had been afraid of the more their relationship grew, that she would do something to ruin it. He was the first man she had ever truly fallen in love with and having him love her back was new and uncharted territory for her and she'd been doing her best to navigate it, but it looked like she had really messed up this time.

It wasn't long before she felt another person sit down on the bench and wrap their arms around her. She knew without looking that it was him and she leaned into his side, crying unabashedly into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry." Elliot whispered, planting feather light kisses on the top of her head. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean any of that, not one word. You aren't anything like her and it's my fault you were mad in the first place. I shouldn't have promised you something that I knew might not happen. I'm so sorry, Liv."

She absorbed his words and slowly calmed down to where her sobs were barely hiccups, "I'm sorry too."

"You don't have to be sorry." He said, rubbing his hand up and down her back.

"I know, but I feel like this is my fault too." She answered, wiping at her cheeks.

He brushed her bangs out of her face tenderly and kissed each cheek before meeting her lips with his for a gentle kiss. "We're in this together, so I guess you're right on some level, but I think I should take most of the blame."

"Not gonna happen, Stabler." She smiled, leaning her forehead against his.

"Well, if I can't do that, can I at least give you this?" He asked pulling a small velvet box out of his coat pocket.

She looked at him, eyes wide, "What's that?"

"Your Christmas present, I was going to wait to give it to you until tomorrow night. Christmas Eve at midnight, I had this whole thing planned out, but I guess I kinda wrecked my own plans." He grinned sheepishly as he handed her the box.

She looked at the box then back at him. "Go on open it." He urged.

She carefully opened the small box and her hand flew to her mouth as her eyes landed on the beautiful ring. It was simple; an oval diamond was nestled between two smaller round ones on a beautiful yellow gold band. It was perfect.

When she looked back up he was on one knee in front of her, and he reached up pulling her hand from her mouth to hold between both of his, "I love you, Olivia. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and I think you feel the same way."

She made a noise that was halfway between a sob and a chuckle, "I'm pretty sure that's the understatement of the century."

He smiled warmly at her. "Marry me?"

"Of course." She replied with a teary smile.

He stood up, pulling her with him and kissed her tenderly, his lips caressing hers fervently. He gently removed the box from her grasp and took the ring out of it, sliding it onto her finger. They stood there kissing as the snow began to fall around them, bringing a perfect ending to their mostly perfect night.

_I know it ain't easy, giving up your heart__  
__I know it ain't easy, giving up your heart__  
__(Nobody's perfect, trust me I've learned it)__  
__I know it ain't easy, giving up your heart__  
__(Nobody's perfect, trust me I've learned it)__  
__I know it ain't easy, giving up your heart__  
__(Nobody's perfect, trust me I've learned it)__  
__I know it ain't easy, giving up your heart__  
__(Nobody's perfect, trust me I've learned it)__  
__I know it ain't easy, giving up your heart_

Olivia crept into their bedroom, a tray holding a blueberry muffin, two cups of coffee, and a long, thin box in her hands. She set it down on his bedside table before sitting down next to him, and though she hated to wake him up she'd been planning this for the past two weeks and she had been keeping this secret from him long enough. Leaning down she kissed his lips, running her hands over his bare chest and within a few moments he was wide awake and kissing her back.

"Morning." She whispered, after pulling away from him.

He smiled lazily at her, "Good morning. What did I do to get such a nice wakeup call?"

"You stuck around for ten years." She answered, watching as his initially confused expression turned to a knowing one.

"It's really been that long?" He teased with mock forgetfulness.

"Yes really." She smiled, grabbing the box from the tray. "Happy Partnerversary."

They'd taken to calling it that since their five year one and they celebrated it every year, because even if they were no longer partners at work they would always be partners in life.

He took the box but stopped before opening it, "Your muffin-"

She laughed, pointing at the table, "Already found it. Now open the box, this is my year to give you something nice remember?"

"Alright, alright." She watched nervously as he took the top off of the box and his eyes widened.

He was quiet for a while and it worried her, "Say something please."

He held up the white stick with two pink lines on it, "Are you sure?"

She nodded, "Doctor confirmed it last week."

He grinned widely at her setting the test and box aside, "We're having a baby?"

"Yeah." She whispered tearily, a smile breaking out on her face. "You alright with that?"

He hugged her to him tightly, "Alright? Olivia Stabler, I'm ecstatic."

She kissed his shoulder, "Good gift then?"

He chuckled, "Best Partnerversary gift yet."

Olivia pulled back far enough so she could kiss him briefly before resting her forehead against his, "I love you, Elliot."

"I love you too, Olivia." He replied, pulling her back in for another kiss.

_So I dare you to let me be your, your one and only__  
__I promise I'm worthy to hold in your arms__  
__So come on and give me a chance__  
__To prove that I'm the one who can__  
__Walk that mile until the end starts__  
__Come on and give me a chance__  
__To prove that I'm the one who can__  
__Walk that mile until the end starts._

A/N: Hey! So I promise to those of you that are reading We Could Be Anything, that I will be posting the next chapter soon. This little one-shot just wouldn't wait, but now that I'm done with this I can focus my full attention on WCBA.

Thanks for reading, reviews are greatly appreciated!  
-Katie


End file.
